The Massage Company’s first franchisees opened their doors in Tunbridge Wells earlier this month.

The Massage Company’s first franchisees have finally opened the doors to their Tunbridge Wells centre. Taran and Sophie Bassi have spent the last few months getting everything ready as they prepared to become the first franchisees for The Massage Company and celebrated their grand opening on the 7th of September.

Mayor Len Horwood formally opened the centre in a ceremony that was witnessed by the team and other influential local business leaders. Now, aching customers in Tunbridge Wells, Kent can treat themselves to one of the franchise’s relaxing massages any time they need, as the centre is open seven days a week and until 9pm on weekdays for ultimate convenience and accessibility.

Taran explained that lots of work had gone into getting his branch exactly as he wanted it to be, including paying particular attention to the quality of the staff he appointed. He said:

“We started recruitment in early May and I have been hugely encouraged by not only the quality of our massage therapy team, but also the volume of response generated by our recruitment partners. We have started by employing 8 therapists, along with two front desk membership supervisors, and will be recruiting again soon!”

After putting all of the staff through the TMC Training Programme, which ensures all massage therapists are trained in its specialist massage methods, Taran and Sophie were ready to start welcoming customers into their centre. However, Taran’s hard work prior to opening paid off, as his presence at local events to promote The Massage Centre combined with central marketing support meant that more than five weeks’ business had already been booked in before the doors had even opened.

"We have built an operational and training support structure that allows us to develop exceptional business-minded franchisees and we look forward to taking Taran through this journey. This is a new type of business in the UK and it is myself and my teams’ intention to ensure that all our franchisees have full training and support from the moment they join our franchise and throughout the lifetime of their business to ensure the optimal chance of building a strong successful business."